Fitness Support on Demand

You can set preferences, reminders, and a long list of other functions to get the most out of your app.

Always available and completely customizable, your app can help you stay focused on your goals and encourage you to make better food and fitness choices.

Your app can calculate how many calories that piece of chocolate cake might have and how long it would take to burn them off, find out you how many steps you’ve taken toward your goal, or whether you’ve hit your target heart rate.

Apps can alert you to changes in your blood pressure or heart rate, and remind you when to hit the gym or take your vitamins.

Apps that monitor exercise or diet programs warn users whenever they stray or issue repeated reminders to take action toward the plan.

These handy features can quickly become shrill annoyances.

Some users can’t stop checking the app constantly to see how they’re measuring up to their goals—and those of other users too, since many fitness apps are also designed for social sharing. That can undermine motivation and sabotage success.

Fitness apps can be your best friend or a foe that undermines your progress. Use them wisely, though, and they can be useful tools for staying focused on getting fit.